The Cult - Ranking the Albums from 'Dreamtime' to 'Under the Midnight Sun'

[@daviddill5227]

Love is one of my favorite albums of all time from any band. Not really any filler on it at all. Every song hits just right

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

It's a total gem. Thanks for watching, David.

[@risboturbide9396]

"Beyond Good And Evil" is still my favorite from them. Great ranking! 🍻🍻

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thank you for watching! \m/

[@panoskarliotis382]

my second favorite after Sonic Temple

[@JCStorm76]

Born Into This is criminally underrated. One day I’ll find someone who agrees

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks for watching, JJ. Curious as to which albums you’d put beneath Born Into This?

[@JCStorm76]

@@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog Its one of my favourites but Objectively? The three albums after it, Ceromony and The Cult.

[@michaelhendricks6991]

I like born also.

[@JCStorm76]

@@michaelhendricks6991 Thank you

[@bozidarkukavica1721]

Born is amazing album

[@chrislanier6786]

I would have rated "Electric" a bit higher but otherwise you nailed it. "Love" falls into that rare category of records that are perfect from start to finish...my favorite as well.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks for watching, Chris!

[@davida9785]

Hi, very nice video, of course everyone has different vibrations with different bands and sounds, I'm a big fan of The cult, saw them 5 times in concert. Recently have heard Under the midnight sun, and inmediately fell in love with the track Vendetta X, to me is the best song of the band in many years, dark, mistic, the chorus is just beautiful. And if I have to choose one and only song of the cult, I believe Ceremony is my favorite. Really don't know why, simply feeling, magnetism. And ironically never could hear Ceremony live!

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks David! Under the Midnight Sun is excellent, as is “Vendetta X.” Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@ryanmcclosky3312]

I saw them 89 (I think) in Dallas Tx when Ceremony came out and it was incredible. One of the best shows I've ever seen. Lenny Kravitz opened and he hadn't really gotten any commercial success yet, but he rocked the hell out of it.

[@marcovitale4074]

The Cult is the band of my life, I saw them 6 times and next month I'm flying to Manchester from Italy to see the Death Cult celebration tour. I agree with your ranking, except I'd put Dreamtime in the second position instead. UTMS one of the best album of 2022!

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks Marco!

[@jimmyrumble2951]

My introduction was seeing Sonic Temple live open up for And Justice for all. It an amazing show in Cincinnati. My buddies mom picked us up after the show. American Horse is my all time fave. Great vid!🤜🤘🤛

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks for watching, Jimmy! What a great memory for you. "American Horse" is such a great one.

[@andrewgapes2319]

You nailed it have been revisiting all my cult cds lately as the boys are coming to New Zealand in November can't wait😊

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks Andrew!

[@moodlefyful]

They were great in Dublin a couple of weeks ago playing the early stuff.

[@179rich]

Finally did a proper ranking: 11) Born Into This (2007) 3/5 10) Ceremony (1991) 3/5 09) Dreamtime (1984) 3/5 08) The Cult (1994) 3.5/5 07) Hidden City (2016) 3.5/5 06) Under the Midnight Sun (2022) 4/5 05) Choice of Weapon (2012) 4.5/5 04) Sonic Temple (1989) 4.5/5 03) Love (1985) 5/5 02) Electric (1987) 5/5 01) Beyond Good and Evil (2001) 5/5 Ratings Scale: 0 stars - irredeemably terrible/insultingly bad/the worst .5 stars - terrible 1 star - bad 1.5 stars - pretty bad 2 stars - weak/mediocre 2.5 stars - meh 2.75 stars - "It's OK, but quit playing it." 3 stars - OK/decent 3.25 stars - pretty good 3.5 stars - good 3.75 stars - really good 4 stars - very good 4.25 stars - very, very good 4.5 stars - excellent 5 stars - plastic fantastic lobster telephone Chronological Order: 1984 - 3.00 - Dreamtime 1985 - 5.00 - Love 1987 - 5.00 - Electric 1989 - 4.50 - Sonic Temple 1991 - 3.00 - Ceremony 1994 - 3.50 - The Cult 2001 - 5.00 - Beyond Good and Evil 2007 - 3.00 - Born Into This 2012 - 4.50 - Choice of Weapon 2016 - 3.50 - Hidden City 2022 - 4.00 - Under the Midnight Sun Notes: * I remember being 14 or 15 watching music videos late at night at my grandparents' house in 1985. I heard R.E.M. for the first time when the "Can't Get There from Here" video came on. Then I heard the Cult for the first time - "She Sells Sanctuary." I became a fan immediately and soon picked up Love. * I was initially repulsed when they switched from alt rock to cock rock on Electric. I eventually ended up with a tape of that album that someone left in my car, and over time, I kept going back to it. It became a guilty pleasure, and eventually just a regular pleasure. They're really on fire on Electric, way over the top and a bit comical. It has camp appeal to me. The bass is pretty much the same thing throughout, but it works. I even dig their "Born to Be Wild" cover. Only now do I put Electric over Love, which would have been unthinkable back in the 80s. Love is great, but a few songs get a little repetitive and perhaps overstay their welcome a teensy bit, while Electric is straight fire all the way through. * As for the debut (which I never heard til years later for some reason), I don't think they quite found their footing. It's got a good sound, but the great songwriting isn't there yet. There's some good songs, but most aren't very catchy. Billy Duffy sounds a bit anonymous. He grew by leaps and bounds between Dreamtime and Love, really coming into his own as a guitar player. People mention Goth when they discuss Dreamtime, but if anything, it sounds more New Wave than Goth to me, at times anyway. * Sonic Temple is sort of a combination of Love and Electric. It's lost a bit of shine for me, but still has a few of their best tunes. For some reason, I quit following the Cult after this album. Just got interested in other things I guess. * From there, their albums tended to veer between hard rock/metal and alt rock. I find they are generally more successful when they're rocking hard. * Beyond Good and Evil was the big find of this exercise. Just a crushing album, the heaviest they ever did. * Cheers mates!!!!!!!!!! Top 10 Cult songs: 10) Ashes and Ghosts - Beyond Good and Evil 09) Memphis Hip Shake - Electric 08) War (The Process) - Beyond Good and Evil 07) Nirvana - Love 06) Peace Dog - Electric 05) Speed of Light - Beyond Good and Evil 04) Aphrodisiac Jacket - Electric 03) Edie (Ciao Baby) - Sonic Temple 02) Sweet Soul Sister - Sonic Temple 01) Love - Love

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Right on. Thanks for the detailed list / notes. Very cool to see Beyond Good and Evil make an appearance in the #1 spot.

[@Buech1]

I'm sixty now, didn't have The Cult on my radar, I didn't know it at all, I came across it by chance while browsing KZbin, since then I've only listened to this music.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Excellent. Happy to hear that you discovered The Cult now. Thanks for stopping by to watch.

[@RTC1655]

1. *Love* - a true rock classic. Stellar musicianship from everyone including Mark Brzezicki on drums. 2. *Sonic* *Temple* - another one for the ages. Less original than Love but still quite distinctive _The_ _Cult_ 3. *Dreamtime* - goth-rock but very much their own, original sound. 4. *Electric* - standout songs on this one but sounds like a AC/DC offspring -- No other album come close to these four.

[@eriksondorp71]

Hi Bret, thanks for your Video on The Cult and ranking their albums 😊 To me there are some albums that keep coming to me, because of their emotional impact and sound. I really love The Cult (1994), Love, some songs off Dreamtime, Sonic Temple is of course a killer album, but there are periods that I rather listen to Choice Of Weapon, The Cult, UTMS, because I feel they are pretty personal, lyrically. Or better said: that's the way it comes through. In the end every album has its highlights and I often make Cult Favorite Song Lists and they differ I have to say. But they are still my favorite band of all time 🤘❤️

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks for watching, Erik! I'm glad you enjoyed this rundown. I was blown away by how outstanding UtMS is - and have grown really fond of Choice of Weapon. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@waltervermeer7836]

I agree with the Born to be Wild comment(s) but except that useless track imo there is no filler on Electric. Electric Ocean easily matches Love Removal etc. (Again imo of course). Personally I am not that impressed with Sonic Temple (too much filler ;-) so I would switch that with Electric. Great video!

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Hey Walter, thank for watching!

[@JCridford]

Other than shuffling Dreamtime to #3, you've pretty much got the same list as me, Bret. So glad to see Under the Midnight Sun making into the top 5 - it was such a welcome surprise hearing that last year.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks for watching!

[@russyJ20]

As an introduction to the cult (apart from on the radio) I just randomly picked up the 40th anniversary pressing of Dreamtime from a local record store. Knowing very little about them thought why not. Just found out it's their first album, Cool. Will give it a spin later today

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Dreamtime is a great place to start. Definitely check out the Love album next! Thanks for watching.

[@179rich]

Nicely done Bret! I remember the shock I felt when the Cult put out Electric which was to me a shocking change in style. They went from their alternative/Goth/postpunk thing to something much closer to hair metal. I wouldn't listen to it for a few years and then slowly got into it to the point where I love it. The older I get, the more open-minded I seem to be about music.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Hey Rich! There is so much great music out there to discover, so being open-minded is totally essential, isn't it? I love the discovery process. It's also interesting how dramatic a stylistic change seems at the time, but in hindsight it just often feels like a natural progression. I remember when "The Fly" came out after The Joshua Tree / Rattle and Hum-era, and thinking how insanely different it was at the time. Now I just think of it as making total sense and the necessary shift they needed to make to move forward. Thanks for watching!

[@Guy-lo3ld]

I was a teenager when Electric was released. I was very much into post punk & goth at the time & a very big fan of Love. I only discovered Dreamtime & Southern Death Cult a little later. Admit that I was in shock at the style of their new music, but I loved it anyway. Had the chance to see them for the Electric tour, in 1987. It was amazing. I remember them performing most of the new album along with several tracks from Love & Horse Nation from Dreamtime.

[@179rich]

@@Guy-lo3ld way cool. My friend saw them I guess around this time and Jane's Addiction opened. He loves Jane's now, but at the time he didn't go for it, except he liked the last song where they all played percussion for "Chip Away." The things I remember...

[@mr.timebombman2230]

I liked when they still had kind of atmospheric and really melodic in the early days, like on Love.

[@shellylamb2986]

Hollow man is such a great song, right up the with She Sells Sanctuary-so far, this is my favorite album by The Cult. I agree with you on Under The Midnight Sun-I just love this album and can't wait to see what they come out with next. I got to see them live a couple of weeks ago, was such a fantastic show! They may be a bit older, but the haven't lost a thing as artists or performers.

[@Thunderstruckzzz]

Hi Brett… great video ! Love The Cult ! I recently picked up a reissue of Love pressed and on red vinyl from Beggars Banquet. My top 5 albums are Sonic Temple, Love and Beyond Good and Evil , Choice of Weapon and Under The Midnight Sun . Thanks for doing this. I am loving the new U2 and gearing up for new Depeche Mode tomorrow ! Thanks Brett . Chez

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Hey Chez! Looks like we had 4 of the same in our Top 5. :) Glad to hear you're loving the new U2. I can't wait for the new DM record tomorrow. Did you see that Richard Butler from The Furs co-wrote 4 of the songs, including the first single (which is seriously amazing)?

[@mickward7769]

Great watch! Was initially lukewarm on Ceremony but it has aged so well, Beyond Good & Evil was huge deserved more, can appreciate your take on Electric albeit hard not to include for it's nostalgia. Kudos for your comments on the self-titled and Choice Of Weapon, Midnight Sun was great as is Love, but you perfectly explained why Sonic Temple has always been my #1 (and I'd add New York City as a pick)... Enjoyed this thanks for the ranking and enjoyed reading everyone's comments Cheers! \m/

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Hey Mick, thanks for the kind words! As you might already know, Ceremony + the self-titled albums got reissued in the months following this video's taping. It's been great to dig into them some Moree. Always a treat to revisit The Cult's catalog. Thanks for watching!

[@mickward7769]

@@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog Yep just grabbed that Ceremony reissue on the weekend, a lovely red and blue repressing cheers :)

[@robcristofoli6330]

Have to agree with your top 2. I remember seeing The Cult play Sanctuary and Rain on the TV music show "The Tube" back in '85... I was instantly hooked, went out the next morning and bought the Love album, always been my favourite of theirs. Sonic Temple 2nd and I'd have to put Dreamtime in 3rd. Not sure about the albums after Ceremony, I'll have to revisit those soon. Loving the new album though. Great to see another ranking video Bret!

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks Rob! Definitely give Choice of Weapon some attention. I've always liked that album, but it really revealed itself more and more as I prepared for this video. Loads of gems on that one.

[@mr.timebombman2230]

Big Neon Glitter is one of my favorite tunes.

[@rodrigoennesgoncalves2796]

The Cult RULES!

[@graemeknowles1431]

I absolutely love Sonic Temple. ❤

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks for watching!

[@nathanwelbourne116]

Hey Brett, what an awesome video! The Cult are such a killer band that have such a cool variety of musical styles. Anyway here’s my ranking. 11) Hidden City (never have been crazy about this one) 10) Born Into This (there’s a couple good tunes on here like I Assassin and Savages) 9) Choice Of Weapon (This Night in the City Forever is the best song on this album I think. Such a killer tune) 8) Dreamtime (some amazing post punk gems on here like Spiritwalker and Dreamtime) 7) Under the Midnight Sun (the new album is absolutely killer! Some highlights are songs like Give Me Mercy and Outer Heaven) 6) The Cult ( a solid album with an incredible song called Saints Are Down) 5) Love (a great album with so many good songs like Rain, Phoenix, Revolution and She Sells Sanctuary) 4) Electric (there’s a bit of filler on here but some great tunes like Lil' Devil, Wild Flower, Electric Ocean and my favorite track on the album Aphrodisiac Jacket!) 3) Beyond Good And Evil (a fantastic album that’s incredibly hard rockin. Some of my favorite songs are Rise, Nico, The Saint and My Bridges Burn) 2) Ceremony (this might be controversial but I love this album a ton. So many underrated tracks like Earth Mofo, Bangkok Rain, Wonderland, Full Tilt and my favorite song on the album Wild Hearted Son!) 1) Sonic Temple (just an incredible album start to finish. So many highlights. My favorite Cult song Sweet Soul Sister is on here. Just a true gem of a rock album. A couple underrated gems of songs on here are New York City and Sun King!)

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks Nathan! I appreciate seeing Ceremony in at the #2 spot. It's always cool to see how certain albums resonate more with others. Did you get the 30th anniversary Sonic Temple box set?

[@nathanwelbourne116]

I did get the box set and I thought it was fantastic! The acoustic version of Edie is the highlight of that set. Such an incredible version of an incredible tune. Do you have the box set?

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

I've only streamed it, but it's next up on the to-buy list. (thanks of the nudge!) Yes! The acoustic version of 'Edie' is wonderful.

[@panoskarliotis382]

good video, although I was hugely disappointed not to see Sonic Temple in #1 spot...also, I didn't really like their 1994 self-titled album that much...only 1 or 2 tracks and that was it...I liked very much Beyond Good & Evil...hoped to see that in the top 5 albums, but that's ok...

[@TheTwangKings]

Another great review! Cool band, I used to hear thema lot on the radio in Montreal in the 80s, then just forgot about them. There was so much good music at the time, they just got lost in the shuffle 😊

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Glad you enjoyed the ranking! Thanks for tuning in.

[@deaconh]

I've kept up with The Cult since 86-87, and they have always been one of my top 5 Rock groups, but their albums after Sonic Temple have been disappointing--they weren't bending styles anymore but conforming to a traditional Rock style--I probably shouldn't hate because Electric was their biggest seller. Speaking of Electric, around the mid 2000s I became aware there was a Manor Sessions "Electric" album. Can't remember how I ended up with a copy, but much better than the Rick Rubin Electric album to my ears. In between all the other albums, I found Beyond Good and Evil to be a decent. I also like the live stuff from the new formation of Death Cult, Jamie on Bass. I think the problem with The Cult--besides indulgence--they got bogged down in narrow mindedness, didn't integrate anything new into their music, so it became predictable. Just my opinion because I know people who claim that later Cult is their favorite.

[@MGKBOSTON]

I saw them last Summer in Boston with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club as the opener. I was 4th row and caught a drumstick! The previous time I saw The Cult was back in /89 when I was at university in Ottawa. Jason Bonham was the opener for that show.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Very cool! The last stop of the tour was here in Phoenix, but unfortunately I couldn't make it. I've seen them a few times over the years, but it's been over 15 years now since the last time. Thanks for watching, Mike!

[@bizbazboz]

I'd go 1 - Dreamtime, 2 - Love, 3 - Peace for my top 3. Now you can get the Peace album as a double set with Electric I much prefer it.

[@Chordrider]

This is my list too! To me it was about the fusion of hard rock energy and the swirling psych-goth vibe. Magic. After that I sort of lost interest. They arguably became the best stadium rockers around, but back in the day they were simply unique.

[@mr.timebombman2230]

Love album will always be #1 for me.

[@rodrigoennesgoncalves2796]

LOVE was my first album and She Sells Sanctuary is my favorite song of all time!

[@toddk1479]

The Cult The Cult is my favorite

[@KevinLarkinAngioli]

Another great ranking video! I always like your tendency to upset the established common opinion that early albums are always better and disrupt the top five with newer work. Personally, I love Choice of Weapon. The year that album came out, I got it, and I listened to it constantly. I thought it was so vital, authentic, powerful, and full of emotion. You could just feel they were holding nothing back. The album rocks. I had been curious about The Cult for some time, having been interested especially in the goth feel of early work under Southern Death Cult and Death Cult name. Choice of Weapon kicked off a Cult obsession with me, where I got most of their back catalog on CD and vinyl. I commuted over three hours a day at that time, so I had a lot of car listening, but I also had a really sweet home listening set up with a cathedral ceiling in an old building and two turntables. Love is my number one, too. I think it's just a perfect album. The culmination of everything they had been building to but without toppling over into hard rock excess and blues rock cliché. I went to see them at Terminal Five in 2012 and Ian Astbury's voice wasn't showing up and the crowd was rubbing me the wrong way and I left after a few songs; it unfortunately put a damper on The Cult for me ever since. Once in a while I dig out the records and CDs and try to find my way back to them. Or I try one I hadn't gotten to yet, as I did a few months ago with the self-titled you ranked highly here. I definitely want to get to know their newest album better. I really liked it on first listen via streaming. I can't decide how I feel about Sonic Temple; I do really like "Edie (Ciao Baby)" though. If I had started listening to the album when it came out--and it wouldn't have been too far off from some of the hair metal and glam metal I grew up on and had in my Walkman--I think I'd be more attached to it. I've come to also not think so much of Electric and think The Doors worship was a step down for them. Did you listen to its earlier form, I think it's called Peace or Peace Dog, that was released a few years ago? I thought your note on the Andrew Wood influence was well-observed; cool that they gave him a shout-out after he passed away.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks for your thoughts, Kevin. I appreciate the kind words. I remember a show in Phoenix in the 90s where I saw them and there were some voice issues as well. The crowd was doing the heavy lifting on "Fire Woman." Looking at that setlist now, it's interesting to see that they performed only 2 songs past Sonic Temple. They weren't really touring any particular album or compilation at the time, but nothing was included off Ceremony or the self-titled album, which is interesting. Hair metal was full-on raging when I was in junior high / high school, but I never associated them with it. There was always something much more mysterious to the sound and imagery at the time for me. There was always a contingent of kids wearing these knee-high moccasin boots with their jeans tucked into them... Whitesnake, Poison, Motley Crue, GNR t-shirts. At that point it seemed like the kids that were into The Cult were the Mods (Goths). :) I hope you keep giving Sonic Temple a try - "Sun King" is such a gem to me. Yes, I've listened to the Peace album since it got all compiled and sequenced. Up until then, there was a rare maxi-CD that had the "Manor Sessions," which feature some of the songs. Then on that super rare "Rare Cult" box set. It's a fascinating look as to what might've been - I definitely need to revisit it now.

[@mr.timebombman2230]

There's another version of the Electric album with the same producer that did Love. Steve Brown .

[@Frank-sm9yl]

I most enjoy " the Cult " album. Superb.

[@pellehedlund4649]

Great ranking video Bret. Mine would be quite similair to yours. Totally agree with you when it comes to Electric. Three very good songs and the rest is a bit mediocre. I love Choice Of Weapon and the Black Sheep-album (which I actually have on vinyl), and rate their latest one, Under The Midnight Sun very high, but would probably have Beyond Good And Evil (the only Cult album i do not have on vinyl…..do not belive it has been released on vinyl) a little bit higher on my list (maybe as high as in top 3). Cheers from Sweden. //Pelle

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks Pelle! Cool to see you feel the same way about Electric. You're right about Beyond Good and Evil - no vinyl pressing has ever been released. Hopefully some day! - Bret

[@CoreysChannel]

Outstanding. I've wanted to tackle a Cult spotlight for a long time but haven't followed through. Great choices. Beyond Good & Evil is a favorite of mine, the Midnight Sun is stunning (the vinyl sounds pretty bad), Hidden City is a treasure, I'm with you, I seem to rank Electric lower than most as well but it all started with Sonic Temple for me and then I worked my way back. It took me years to connect with Ceremony it was such a different sounding album... I forget if you're in the Phoenix area? I'd like to plan a meet up sometime if possible. Ciao!

[@MrDuncanquasar]

My fav band. Top albums kind of changes depending on the mood. But I would go 1, Sonic Temple 2. Love 3. Beyond Good and Evil 4.Electric 5. Ceremony 6 The Cult 7 Dreamtime 8 Born Into This 9 Choice of Weapon 10. Under The Midnight Sun 11. Hidden City

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Right on. Thanks for sharing your list.

[@playvinylinthemilkynight1879]

They lost me with Electric, to be honest. Saw them on the Sonic Temple tour (pretty sure it was that tour), with a newbie Lenny Kravitz opening. Love will always be my favorite album of theirs, with the song "Love" being one of my favorite rock songs of all time (and Phoenix and She Sells being my other 2 faves from that album). Looks like I am going to have to dig into some of their later stuff.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Hey Mike! Yes, 'Love' is so great. If you decide to check out some later stuff, I'd recommend starting with the newest album - Under the Midnight Sun.

[@debranchistesdumondeentier2946]

OK I apologize for having been rude. If Love is n°1 then we share something. Brotherhood!

[@Subalternmagazine]

Love is the obvious number one! Then my other two top three albums would be Dreamtime and Sonic Temple.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Great choices for the Top 3.

[@zoso1980]

Listen to Peace... that's a unsung iconic album. Sad they shelved it in full until a 10 or so years ago.

[@Richy-hs6zc]

Dude I like you,Hollow Man.....my favorite cult song

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

It's a great song! Thanks for watching.

[@seanb480]

I saw The Cult live for Love tour and then a year later Electric. What a shock to me! I really felt the entire shift from Goth to hard rock was a mistake IMHO. The band obviously was pushed to change their look which didn’t seem honest, so I can agree about how far back you pushed the Electric album. Nothing beats Love, followed by Dreamtime. The heyday of goth!

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Recently revisited the "Peace" version of Electric. Such an interesting comparison when you listen to it back to back with Electric. Thanks for watching, Sean.

[@seanb480]

@@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog that's right, the Peace version is what we all wanted! I haven't dove into how it was uprooted. Side note, I stood in front row in front of Duffy with his hollow-bodied guitar and Frog amps. What an experience! I was so charged for the guitar after seeing that show.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Right on. Very cool that you saw them on the Love tour. Did you give the new record a chance?

[@seanb480]

@@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog Knife Through Butterfly Heart was the highlight for me and its very lovely. The chord progressions are wonderful on that track, but overall what I'm looking for out of Billy I don't think are obtainable for me since Sonic Temple. I think the writing for both Electric and Sonic Temple were on par with Love and Dreamtime just amped and recorded differently, with Ian, Billy, Jamie, and Nigel together to Electric, then Ian leaves for Sonic, then its just Ian and Billy for Ceremony. I think like The Smiths, or U2, and any number of bands, the key ingredients were those four in my version of The Cult, when a member leaves its not the same. Same goes for Simple Minds. Jim and Charley aren't enough, they needed Michael MacNeil and Derek Forbes (course they floated their drummer with great results).

[@philiphudgens4726]

@@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog Electric Ocean is fantastic on the Peace version.

[@marcbeil8342]

1 Electric 2 Sonic temple 3 Beyond good and evil 4 Born into this 5 Ceremony 6 Under the midnight sun 7 Love 8 Hidden city 9 Choice of weapon 10 The Cult 11 Dreamtime

[@dirkriley3004]

Great Band !in my Top 5 of all time ! I seen them alot back in the day ! Sonic temple tour at Aragon ballroom in Chicago 90' was the Best 👍 your Top 2 would be same on my list. After that would be different. But that's why everyone has a personal opinion 👍 Chicago Love 🤘

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Right on, Dirk. Thanks for watching! P.S. I grew up in the Chicago area.

[@michaelhendricks6991]

Good ranking I have heard weapon though.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Excellent!

[@MonkyMonk729]

The Cult hated the Born to be Wild cover too. That was 100% Rick Rubin's idea that he twisted arms off over until they finally acquiesced. When they did the tour where they played the Electric album in running order, they actually left out Born to be Wild and replaced it with a short, angry rant about being forced to record it.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks for the info, Monk. Didn't realize that was the case.

[@philiphudgens4726]

Fun fact: It gets some airplay on Karl Pilkington's 'An Idiot Abroad' - Route 66

[@themayor1716]

I came here to say the very same thing.

[@julianweir1055]

During the electric 13 tour they played Zap City in place of BTW which was the b side to the Lil Devil single……brilliant track.

[@matsfrommusic]

Exceptional band, probably my favourite guitar band. Try to do a list of 10 bad Cult songs and see if you can actually find that many. I really dislike Sweet salvation, that's the only one I can think of. They're just phenomenal.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Right on. Thanks for watching, Mats.

[@philiphudgens4726]

Not a big fan of Black Angel on Love...imho, they should've included Little Face instead, but I guess they thought the album needed another ballad for balance or something.

[@michaelwilson2340]

I've always preferred the Jamie Stewart era. When he left I lost interest in the band. Of course I felt the same when Alan Wilder left Depeche Mode and New Order continued without Peter Hook. But I may have give the newer Cult output a try.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks for watching, Michael. The Cult just released a new 2-song single the other day, under the Death Cult name. Check out the track "C.O.T.A" - really good.

[@andywhite7741]

3. Sonic Temple 2. Electric 1. Love

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Great to see Love at your #1 spot also.

[@andywhite7741]

The album Love, is a pure album of great tracks, but my favourite is Rain (maybe it’s a British thing 😂)

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Ah, "Rain" is such a great one. Hard to just pick 3 favorites from it, as the whole album is top notch. Thanks Andy!

[@Grandmaster-Yas]

I’d say sonic temple. Electric and Under the midnight sun are your favs.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Those are some solid guesses. :)

[@SuperDenonciateur]

Hidden City is a good album.

[@RuiMaia]

Dreamtime for me! I like the production. More tribal & new wavy. Not a fan of the piano bits on some tunes. ;) Horse Nation, 83rd Dream, Butterflies, A Flower in the Desert, Bad Medicine Waltz, probably all Death Cult tunes, still...Can't beat Nigel Preston on drums.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Excellent choice! Thanks for watching.

[@philiphudgens4726]

Ray Mondo was maybe even better altho Nige is a legend. Dreamtime Live at the Lyceum really demonstrates his skills...& work rate. RIP gone way too soon.

[@chrisknowlton9460]

Really didnt like anything after their masterpiece Love, when they changed their sound and image. The new album is a return to form, like an updated version of their debut, Dreamtime. My favorite Cult release is Live at the Lyceum 1984. CD was only available in Japan. Not sure why it didn't get a proper reissue, it's fantastic.

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

A friend of mine had the VHS for the Lyceum show. I remember watching that on a small TV in his garage. I need to track down the LP of that release - thank you for the reminder!

[@MonkyMonk729]

Here's what I guess your top 3 is: 3. Sonic Temple 2. Electric 1. Love

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Great guesses! You were very close! :)

[@stephopalopal]

😉👍❤️

[@debranchistesdumondeentier2946]

Dreamtime n°6. Us and Americans are definitely different races. This is the only great album with Love. Adeus America.

[@luciosette8307]

*......FIRE ❤ WOMAN......*

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

\m/ great song!

[@oliviergeoffroy9823]

i completly agree with electric ranking good songs but where was rubin on that one it's too flat may be tony platt would have ben a better choice for this kind of sound ,very hard rock one ...

[@BretHelmsLifeOnThisPlanetBlog]

Thanks Olivier!

[@zoso1980]

No Peace? You really ought to digest that album now that the band released it. It's important because it was the road untaken had they stayed on the Love evolution rather than the hackneyed hard rock of Electric. I find the "filler" from Electric is much more lively on Peace.

[@nealhanna5609]

Ceremony is my favorite album Electric is my second Love is third Sonic Temple is fourth All the others u mention except the newest is half good. The newest one is in my opinion the worst

[@marks8693]

Good listing but how you can go the whole review and not mention Phoenix is staggering. Thanks anyway

[@lobohunter4909]

Dude hidden city Is one of there best albums!!! You got to be kidding 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@barnoidbatno3607]

Love, Dreamtime, Electric, everything else is crap imo

[@maniaque37]

totally disagree. electric album has only good songs from start to finish to me. when you say there is only 3 good songs and the rest are fillers , i could not disagree more. cant believe u put their last album in front of electric. their last album is very dissapointing to me. it is way too smooth and kinda boring even if yes its relaxing music but it just have nothing to do with hard rock music. for your first pick , love album , she sells sanctuary is one of the best the cult song but unfortunately the rest of the album is not very good. again i dont agree with you. electric is my top the cult album. seems like we have a very different opinion about music but we cant judge too much because each person is different.

[@stevenb514]

11. Dreamtime … This is easily the most overrated album. Aside from three tracks, the songs just aren’t there. I love this band, but it’s just a bore. 10. Born Into This … This was one of many albums over-heralded as some return to form, but the songs suffer from a bit of sameness throughout. 9. Ceremony … Feeling a bit like a shameless attempt to cash in on the success of Sonic Temple, this was doomed (perhaps appropriately) to be released on the same date as Nirvana’s Nevermind. 8. Choice of Weapon … The lyrics veer a little to far into earthy, pseudo-spiritual realm, but Honey from a Knife > Dirty Little Rock Star (yeah, I said that!) 7. Under the Midnight Sun … Yes, the latest record is the biggest change of sound for several albums, but so what. The production is really flat, and when all is said and done, there are only four tracks memorable enough to land on my band playlist. 6. Hidden City … This one has grown on me to become my favorite of the later era output: No Love Lost, Deeply Ordered Chaos, and Avalanche of Light in particular transcend just about anything on the prior three records (which definitely feel like a piece with this). 5. Beyond Good and Evil … This was a pleasant surprise in 2001 (seven years after their last record) is the closest The Cult will ever get to a pure metal album. 4. The Cult … Heavy in more ways than one, this is easily the most underrated record. Like U2’s Pop, a critic-driven narrative formed behind this record (“an 80s band doing ‘grunge’? oh no you don’t!”) before it ever got a decent chance in the radio. 3. Electric … Rick Rubin and I are probably the only two people in the world who love the cover of Born to Be Wild. 2. Love 1. Sonic Temple

[@fulanitoantinazi]

🐐 album was the best of the best